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HelpRe: Would you use an honouring name?
in reply to a message by Felie
Yes, I would and I have. My son is named after his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, and my daughter is named after my mother and my grandmother.
I would never believe that the names mean that my daughter and son are destined to have any character flaws that our relatives did.
I've seen it said that there are better ways of honoring someone than to use his or her name, but I disagree. I can't think of a better way. Maybe plant a tree in their honor? Well, unless you have the pull to have a plaque put in front of the tree, nobody is going to know that the tree is honor of the person. Maybe live like the other person does? Whatever character traits you are displaying, nobody is going to know what inspired them, unless you want to go around saying to everyone you meet, "Do you know why I'm so generous? It's because my mother was." Nobody would do that, and it sounds like insufferable bragging anyway. Maybe you could get a skyscraper or bridge named after the person? Yeah, right.
But a name is personal and a name is permanent, and a name is instantly recognizable as a way of honoring. So when my daughter says, "My middle name is Zoe. It's after my grandmother and great-grandmother" or my son says, "I'm William James IV", that's all they need to say to convey to whomever they are talking to that there is a special love and recognition there. There is no better way.
I would never believe that the names mean that my daughter and son are destined to have any character flaws that our relatives did.
I've seen it said that there are better ways of honoring someone than to use his or her name, but I disagree. I can't think of a better way. Maybe plant a tree in their honor? Well, unless you have the pull to have a plaque put in front of the tree, nobody is going to know that the tree is honor of the person. Maybe live like the other person does? Whatever character traits you are displaying, nobody is going to know what inspired them, unless you want to go around saying to everyone you meet, "Do you know why I'm so generous? It's because my mother was." Nobody would do that, and it sounds like insufferable bragging anyway. Maybe you could get a skyscraper or bridge named after the person? Yeah, right.
But a name is personal and a name is permanent, and a name is instantly recognizable as a way of honoring. So when my daughter says, "My middle name is Zoe. It's after my grandmother and great-grandmother" or my son says, "I'm William James IV", that's all they need to say to convey to whomever they are talking to that there is a special love and recognition there. There is no better way.
This message was edited 4/27/2017, 12:46 PM
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